Cookies and Cereal
by ShaunyRedComet
Summary: Both Ruby and Pyrrha are realizing that they're starting to really like Jaune as more than a friend, but they are unsure of what to do about it. Then both girls begin to recognize each other as a potential rival for Jaune's affections; throw in some self-doubt and you have a fluffy story where Ruby and Pyrrha are encouraged by friends/siblings, and we learn more of Jaune's heart
1. Chapter 1

"Om nom nom nom nom nom..."

The content sounds of snacking punctuated the bouts of smalltalk and gossip between Ruby and Jaune. Alone in the fountain court at Beacon Academy, the two friends sat together, sharing a pile of cookies and catching up on what had been going on over the past week.

"...and I was all like, 'why are there six continents but only four kingdoms?' Professor Oobleck just stared at me like I had asked the dumbest question ever. It was the worst!" In spite of his tale of woe, Jaune was grinning. He had learned to laugh at himself a little more, at least, since Ruby had first met him.

Ruby giggled at the conclusion of her friend's story. "Sounds like you'll ace that class."

"Just like you'll be top of Port's class soon too, huh?" Jaune exchanged sarcasm for sarcasm. Ruby just raspberried at him.

She wouldn't go telling the world, but Ruby really liked having moments like this with Jaune. The two friends didn't share many classes, and even when they met up they were more often than not accompanied by their respective teammates. So it was great to be able to just hang out and stuff, just the two of them.

"_It's cool, having Jaune to myself ..._" Ruby wasn't _exactly _sure, but she thought that maybe, just maybe, a little part of her was starting like him. _Like-_like him.

"_...and it's nice to not have to compete with 'the Invincible Girl' just to talk with him..._"

That thought made Ruby feel a bit guilty. She knew she shouldn't be jealous of Jaune's friendship with Pyrrha Nikos; Pyrrha was his partner, after all, and had become his best friend at Beacon to boot.

But things had become more...complicated ever since Ruby found out about the "secret private lessons" Pyrrha was giving to Jaune after their evening classes. Ruby knew Pyrrha was a good person—a _great_ person-who loved helping other people realize how great they are. But Pyrrha didn't just offer her "private lessons" to everyone. So, ever since Jaune began training with Pyrrha, Ruby had begun to covet her time with him more.

Oh, Pyrrha's "training" was probably really just training. _Probably_.

But then again...

_"Jaune may be oblivious but I'm not," _Ruby thought to herself. _"I see how Pyrrha looks at him." _

Ruby did like Pyrrha, really! Pyrrha Nikos was something of a minor celebrity, having graduated top of her class from her previous school and won a record-number of tournaments, and she even appeared on on cereal boxes. Pyrrha was also one of the kindest and most down-to-earth persons Ruby had ever met.

Ruby remembered her first days at Beacon Academy: she had been so focused on getting through initiation and finding the best teammates she could that she had dismissed the idea of teaming up with Jaune. Pyrrha, on the other hand, had intentionally sought him out during initiation. She had befriended and mentored Jaune when everyone else thought he was a joke. Not only that but Pyrrha willingly submitted to his leadership; her devotion to her partner and team leader had led many people in the school to conclude that the cereal mascot had a serious (and unexplainable) crush on Jaune. Both Pyrrha and Jaune would quickly dismiss such rumors, saying "we're just friends."

The way Pyrrha looked at Jaune said otherwise, though.

_"None of that should bother me, but..."_ Ruby looked at Jaune, who had just dropped his cookie and was now dusting it off on his hoodie.

"Five second rule." he said before eating it.

Ruby sighed. Jaune was the first friend she had made at Beacon. He was a bit of a dork, but still cute, and nice, and funny. He was growing on her, she guessed. Besides that, Ruby's own competitive nature was challenged by Pyrrha's interest in the boy.

"So, how's the training with Pyrrha going?"

Jaune grinned sheepishly, "well, better I guess. I mean it was never bad, well,_ I_ was, but Pyrrha says I'm getting a lot better."

"Cool."

"Yeah, I guess so. And Pyrrha's been totally cool, I mean she can be a little intense, she doesn't mess around when it comes to sparring. But she knows how to make things easy to understand. " Jaune sighed, "I wish I could've met her years ago!"

Ruby frowned_. What does _that_ mean?_

"...do you...like her?"

Jaune looked at Ruby, his blue eyes meeting her silver eyes. He turned to look at the fountain. _"Strangely contemplative,"_ Ruby thought.

A smile crept on Jaune's face, but he spoke slowly. "Well, yeah, I mean, Pyrrha is...great. I mean she's smart, and talented, and super-super nice. And her face sold _cereal!_"

_"Cereal...!" _Ruby bit her lip. "Jaune, that's...not what I meant. Do you, y'know, _like_-like her?"

Jaune looked away from Ruby. "Pyrrha's my best friend, and I'm her team leader. Besides, she can't possibly like _me_ in any way but as a friend! She...could do so much better than me..."

"That's not really an answer, Jaune!"

Knowing he could in no way give an answer to that question, Jaune's reply was to take the last cookie. Realization struck Ruby.

"Hey! No fair!"

* * *

**A bit of fluff, nothing really deep (will add a conclusion with Ren and Jaune soon). I'm actually a die-hard Arkos shipper myself, really enjoyed the "ship teasing" the show has done with Pyrrha and Jaune. Hoping come volume 2 that Arkos will be official.  
Please post comments, criticisms and critiques. I'm not used to writing dialogue so anything constructive is appreciated. Thanks, hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

Alone in the girls' showers, Pyrrha toweled off her long red hair. Her training session with Jaune had run late this time, and afterwords she and him had parted ways to shower before heading to supper.

"_It was a good night,"_ Pyrrha smiled to herself. Jaune had already showed so much improvement since they had begun. If he kept this up, he'd be ready for the Vytal Festival Tournament; Pyrrha really wanted her partner to have the confidence he needed to compete.

"_Jaune..." _Pyrrha shook her head. Such a silly, girly thing to have, a crush on a boy. "_No, it's not a crush. I'm just being a good friend. I'm...who am I kidding...?" _So many people, herself included, tended to forget that in spite of her many accomplishments Pyrrha was still a seventeen-year-old girl. "_And boy, I sure do feel like it when I'm around him."_

When Pyrrha is truly honest with herself, she knows her offer to train Jaune was more than her simply being nice. Every session Pyrrha spends with her partner is one they get to spend alone, just the two of them. Jaune had completely missed the subtext of her offer to train him, of course, but Pyrrha didn't mind as long as she still got to do it. Their private conversations, the little details the two partners had been sharing about themselves, the intimate knowledge they've grown comfortable exchanging: those things are what Pyrrha had desired. That is what she loved most about training Jaune.

As she dressed herself, Pyrrha reminisced on when she first saw Jaune: just a cute boy lost in the crowd of new students. Jaune had seemingly gone out of his way to embarrass himself his first few days at Beacon; most of the girls had thought he was a dork, most of the guys had thought he was a loser. Everyone, even some of the professors, had seemed to think he wasn't worth their time. But years of studying the soul's Aura had taught Pyrrha to look beyond what a person was on the outside: a person's Aura didn't lie about who they really were, and what they could be.

_"Jaune...you are wonderful, if only you'd let yourself believe it." _ It wasn't just his strong Aura or untapped potential that endeared Jaune to Pyrrha: the young man had a kind and gentle heart, a beautiful spirit, and a quirky sense of humor. Oh, he had made mistakes; he had hurt Pyrrha's feelings when she had initially offered to train him. But he had been brave enough to apologize, and to ask her for a second chance. Jaune's mistakes only served to make him stronger.

_ "And then...there's that smile of his..."_

Pyrrha's train of thought was interrupted by the door opening; in stepped Ruby, toothbrush in her mouth, towel in hand. "Mmm, nhiegh hyrrha!" the girl took the toothbrush out to try again, "Hey Pyrrha!"

"Good evening Ruby," Pyrrha replied. It seemed Ruby had already finished dinner and was getting ready for bed; granted, Pyrrha's late-evening session with Jaune had gone on a _bit_ later than usual. "I was just leaving. I hoped to be able to grab a bite before the dining hall closed."

"Better hurry, I think I saw your team on their way out as I left."

"Oh. Was Jaune with them?"

Ruby looked at the tall red-head. _"Already thinking about Jaune," _she noted. "Nope, I think he's still there. He was hoping he could convince the cooks to whip up some more of those chicken nuggets he likes."

"The beowulf-shaped ones."

"Yep."

Both girls giggled. Pyrrha admired Ruby; she was a talented girl, and had a lot to be proud of. Ruby was confident, but not full of herself. She worked hard to be worthy of her special place at Beacon—Ruby had been accepted two years ahead of every other student—and she strove to be the best team leader she could be. Of all the new students at Beacon, Ruby was probably the one to watch; she had an air of destiny, of greatness.

_"But, I can't help but feel jealous at times, when she and Jaune are laughing together..."_ Pyrrha felt a bit ashamed of being jealous of a girl two years her junior. Jealous of a simple _friendship_. But there was no denying how easy-going Jaune was around Ruby, how the two just clicked. Not that Pyrrha was dissatisfied with her own relationship with Jaune; they were friends, _best_ friends. He confided in her, trusted her, looked up to her. But Pyrrha couldn't really recall having made Jaune laugh that often. Not like how Ruby managed. Jaune was..._comfortable_ around Ruby.

All this thinking had led to a somewhat awkward silence. Ruby was first to try to cut through it: "so..."

Pyrrha caught on, moved towards the door. "Yeah, um, I'd better get to the dining hall..."

"Yeah...and to Jaune..."

The red-head hesitated at the door.

Was...this going to be an issue? The two of them, Pyrrha and Ruby, were friends. But, the way Ruby had said that, it had sounded like...disapproval. Bitter disapproval. _"Could Ruby _really_ be interested in Jaune, for more than just friendship?" _ Pyrrha sighed inwardly. She just wasn't sure.

Not yet.

* * *

**So, in my haste to put this story up I completely neglected things like "formatting" or "chapter breaks" :P I'm happy that I got some favorites so quickly (thank you!) but I must apologize for being so sloppy. This is my first-ever fanfic and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy it!**


	3. Chapter 3

"No nuggets. It's come to this instead," Jaune muttered at his meatloaf as Pyrrha joined him at the table. When she sat next to him, though, he flashed her his special "I'm not really upset" smile. Pyrrha had managed to grab a meal just before the staff closed the kitchen. The dining hall was almost empty, just a few other students besides the two of them.

Jaune continued to poke unenthusiastically at his meatloaf. "Sorry I didn't wait for you. You were taking a bit longer than usual, was wondering if you decided to skip dinner."

"No, I ran into Ruby, actually," Pyrrha explained. "We talked for a bit and I guess I almost forgot about the time."

"Yeah, Ruby likes to talk. I was telling her earlier today about last week, in Oobleck's class..."

"Oh no, not the 'six continents, four kingdoms' incident?"

"Yeaaaaaah. That one."

Pyrrha gave her best sympathy smile. "You had been up late the night before, it's not like you're the first person to ask a weird question."

"Heh, well, I told Ruby what happened and she almost had cookies coming out of her nose!"

The two friends laughed. Pyrrha allowed herself to just admire Jaune for a bit. He had grown so much since first arriving at Beacon, and Pyrrha took a small measure of pride in her partner's accomplishments.

Jaune continued to share what Ruby had told him of her week. Pyrrha listened, but was not super-thrilled about the Ruby-centric nature of Jaune's conversation.

"So she then just _sat_ on her scythe and when the other team tried to grab her in a pincer, Ruby squeezed off a shot, flipped into the air, and the two guys just slammed into each other! Aww man, I wish I could've seen it!" Jaune was always enthusiastic about strategies and improvised tactics—Pyrrha liked to tease that that was his "leader-ness" showing.

"She's something else." Jaune said smiling. Pyrrha frowned. "_What could he mean by that?_" she wondered.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Jaune said as he pulled a small plastic-wrapped bundle from his jacket pocket. He unwrapped it and handed a chocolate-chip cookie to Pyrrha. "From Ruby," he explained as he ate his own cookie.

Pyrrha looked at her cookie and at Jaune. _"Cookies, so very, very Ruby..." _She ate it, realizing that though the confection was quite delicious, her current mental state somewhat soured the experience. "_Ruby is such a sweet girl. She makes her friends laugh, she shares her treats. Me, I take my best friend to the rooftop and beat him up, and call it being romantic."_ For the umpteenth time that evening Pyrrha sighed to herself. "_Maybe...I'm just not girlfriend material._" The thought made her heart ache a bit.

"Hey, Pyrrha? What's wrong, didn't you like it?" Pyrrha realized that she must have been wearing her thoughts on her face, because Jaune was looking at her with mild concern.

"Huh?"

"Your cookie, didn't you like it?"

"Oh, it was fine, just...fine. I just—mm!" Pyrrha was stopped mid sentence by another cookie, pushed into her mouth by Jaune. Her partner grinned, like he had thought _"this is a stupid idea, but...what the hell?!" _

"How is it now?" Jaune was...blushing? Maybe Pyrrha only thought she saw it; _she_ sure was blushing, though. Jaune could be playful at times, but this? It was a bit intimate, to be sure!

Taking a moment to chew and swallow, Pyrrha managed to say, "...its pretty good, actually."

Had _anyone_ else tried to feed cookies to Pyrrha like that, her instincts would probably have kicked in and the offending arm would now be twisted around the owner's backside. And Pyrrha would be apologizing.

Jaune dusted off his hands. "Thought maybe you needed to try it again. You had the saddest look on your face for some reason."

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. I really liked it. T-the _cookie_, I mean."

"Heh. Ruby always seems to find the best sweets. These are _really_ good!"

_"Ruby again."_ It seemed that every time Pyrrha got a special moment with Jaune tonight it was going to include Ruby in some way too.

"Ruby is...special, isn't she?" Pyrrha ventured. _"Maybe I need to find out what Jaune really thinks about her. Maybe...maybe he _does_ like me but is too shy and..." _Pyrrha calmed her self. _"One thing at a time, Nikos!"_

Jaune was finishing his last cookie. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, she's supposed to be a prodigy, right? And we all saw what she did to that Nevermore on initiation day, and then being made leader of her own team, so..."

"Do you think she's...cute?"

Jaune froze as deep-rooted survival instincts kicked into gear; while he could admit he was no ladies man, Jaune knew that girls asking guys about other girls was trouble. His tactical mind went into overdrive as Jaune took in the situation and sought out the best possible course of action. So far, "'Hey look at the time, gotta go,'" "fake an illness" and "go use the bathroom," were all that came to mind.

Naturally, he went with all three at once, and fast: "Hey-Pyrrha-its-getting-late-and-I'm-not-feeling-so-good-so-I'm-gonna-run-to-the-bathroom-I'll-see-you-later!"

Pyrrha could barely blink as her partner excused himself and was out the dining hall door. Jaune felt bad leaving her so abruptly, but didn't slow down. His two closest friends, both of whom he was attracted to, asking him what he thought of the other today! Jaune never thought he'd be in this kind of predicament.

Jaune knew he was the first friend Ruby made here at Beacon—maybe he had grown on her over the course of the semester? And for a while Jaune had had suspicions that Pyrrha may be into him. And, he did care for his partner a lot, and had begun to like her even more since they had started spending so much time together. Ruby was cute. Pyrrha was also cute, and she had such big, soft, perfect...eyes.

_"Can't think that way now! Gotta run!" _Jaune reminded himself as he fled the down the hall, wondering if he should just find a place to hide for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby slumped onto her bed, tossing her towel and toothbrush carelessly across the room. _"Today was fun..."_ she thought sarcastically, remembering how awkward things had gotten this day. First her and Jaune earlier that day, and then her and Pyrrha at the showers.

"Siiiiiiiiissssss" came a familiar voice as a mane of yellow hair slowly creeped-up from below Ruby's bed. Yang was bored; their other two roommates were still out, and Yang had noticed that her younger sister was in some sort of mood, the way she had slumped into the room. So, naturally, Yang decided to investigate.

"You look chipper, did they run out of hot water or something?"

Ruby closed her eyes. "Nope."

Yang took a stab: "Boy-troubles? Or girl-troubles if you are into that sort of thing?" Ruby turned to her typical reply of tossing a pillow.

"Boy-troubles, then! Excellent! Fear not, sis, for I am an expert in all things related to the opposite sex!" Yang somersaulted into Ruby's bed to lay next to her sister. "So, what's the sitch? Does he know you exist?"

Ruby sighed—no sense fighting it when Yang wanted to pry. "Mm-hmm"

"Great! That already makes things easier! So...he's got a girlfriend already?"

"Nope."

"Good, good, making progress. But...he likes someone else?"

Ruby shrugged. "Dunno."

Yang playfully stroked her chin, "Ahhh, that complicates things. Well, does he like you? Hang on, this is important: did you _ask_ him if he likes you? Can make or break your chances!"

"...no, I didn't ask him that."

"Well, that's okay, in my experience asking a guy that is like taking a 50/50 chance that he'll never talk to you again."

"I asked him if he liked...someone else."

Yang nodded. "Oh, that can be...fun. _Messy_-fun. And you said you still don't know if he does? What did he say, exactly?"

Ruby rolled away from her sister. "He didn't say anything. Nothing definite, anyways. I mean, I know he likes Pyrrha, I just don't know if he _like-likes_ her, y'know-"

"Pyrrha? So, your rival is none other than the great Pyrrha Nikos herself! Pretty tough competition there, sis!" Yang playfully elbowed Ruby's backside. "Does Jauney-boy know he's got some guy moving in on his partner?"

"..." Ruby said nothing, and then braced herself for the inevitable teasing that was coming. Once Yang determined what Ruby's silence meant; it would come in three...two...

"Waaaaaaiiiiiiit, you don't mean..._Jaune _is the guy? Jaune Arc?"

Sighing, Ruby confirmed it: "Yes."

_"Vomit Boy?!" _in truth, Yang wasn't too surprised; Ruby was young and inexperienced, it's natural she'd not have the best taste in guys. Jaune wasn't a _bad_ guy, just...meh. But Yang was enjoying teasing her sister too much! "Wow, I mean, just, wow! Okay...nope, nope, still trying to process that. Give me a moment."

"Yang, you're so mean!"

"And you're in _love_!" Yang grabbed Ruby's shoulders and playfully shook her. "Aww, Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, so cute! So, after Pyrrha kills you can I have your headphones?"

Ruby sniffed. "Pyrrha's...just his friend."

"Riiiiiiiiiiiight, like how Ren and Nora are "just friends". Like how you wanna be 'just his friend'. I'm not buying it—Pyrrha's got it bad for that guy. Oooh, when she finds out about your little crush...!" Yang drew her finger across her throat for emphasis.

"I...think she might know already. Well, suspect at least." Ruby squeezed her eyes shut. "I was talking with her earlier and she said she was going to see Jaune and I...guess I kinda sounded like I didn't approve."

"What? Did you _say_ you didn't approve?" Yang scratched her head. "What really happened?"

Ruby related how her conversation with Pyrrha played out. How Pyrrha had hesitated at the door after Ruby's comment about her going to see Jaune. Yang listened, then let out a low whistle. "Awkward."

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't think I was saying anything! I guess it just came out sounding like I didn't like the idea of her and Jaune..."

_ "_Sharing a romantic dinner alone? Canoodling over candlelight? Then back to their room for a little _sumfin-sumfin_?"

"I hate you Yang."

"Bow-chicka-bow-wo—hey!" Yang was about to answer Ruby's elbow to her ribs with a big-sister tackle, but then she noticed that Ruby was holding back tears. "Hey, sis, I was only joking..."

Ruby kept her eyes squeezed shut. "Pyrrha probably hates me now. And..and she already gets to spend so much time with Jaune, and, I mean, she's just so...amazing. How can I compete?"

Yang pulled on her earlobe as she took in what her sister was saying. _"Ahh, crushes are hard..." _she thought to herself. Personally, Yang thought Ruby was only into Jaune because, other than the quiet Lie Ren, he was the only boy Ruby really knew well. Jaune _was_ really nice, and funny in a pitiful kind of way. _Maybe_ even cute, though Yang still wondered how Ruby (and Pyrrha, for that matter) failed to notice the bevy of hot guys available at Beacon. Whatever; right now, Yang's sister needed hugs and some encouragement, not a critique on her choice in men.

"Hey, Ruby? Y'know, Pyrrha is a pretty amazing girl and all, but you know what?" Ruby managed a slight shrug. Yang leaned closer to her little sister, "Pyrrha doesn't strike me as the kind of girl that would make the first move. Yeah, she probably has the hots for Jaune, but her attitude is too 'let the chips fall' for her to really do much of anything about it. Besides, she's got to be freaking out a bit about the idea of being in love with her best friend. That's quite the sticky situation for anyone to be in."

"...you don't think Pyrrha will ask him out or anything...?"

Yang smiled. "Naw, she's playing the waiting-game with Jaune, hoping that their spending so much quality-time together will help him realize his own feelings for her. It _could_ work..."

Ruby had turned her head a bit and Yang could see she had opened her eyes. "But the thing is, little sister, you're a go-getter! I'm not saying that you should barge across the hall right now and pounce Vomit—I mean Jaune. But, while Pyrrha is trying to patiently wear her partner down, you'll have had plenty of time to make your move."

Ruby had turned now to completely face her sister. "But, Jaune likes to be the, y'know, 'the guy' and all that; he'll want to be the one that makes the first move."

"He might _pretend_ to be 'the guy,' sure. But sis, guys love it when girls ask them out. Takes the pressure off of them, plus it strokes their egos."

Ruby smiled. That...made sense. "Maybe...I should wait a bit first though-just a bit! Until I figure out how to ask him out."

_"Yeah, or until you figure out that you could have _any_ other boy in the school, fer cryin' out loud!" _Yang thought to herself. In reality, Yang _did_ kinda think Jaune and Pyrrha made a cute couple, the way they always awkwardly glanced at one another. But her little sister came first in any and all situations.


	5. Chapter 5

Jaune still had not returned to Team JNPR's dorm by the time Pyrrha got back. It was already late and curfew would be in effect soon, so Pyrrha hoped Jaune would be home before he got in trouble. _"Then again, he might be stalling because he's afraid of being in trouble here.." _Pyrrha sighed. Yes, she was a tad upset that her partner had left her so abruptly to avoid answering her question. Then again, maybe in doing so Jaune _had_ giver Pyrrha his answer...

_"He must like her. He...probably didn't want to hurt my feelings, so just made up an excuse and..."_ Pyrrha shook her head—that didn't make complete sense. As far as she knew Jaune was blissfully unaware of Pyrrha's growing affection for him—he wouldn't try to spare her feelings if he didn't think she had them. And besides, Jaune had always made it very plain to _everyone_ whenever he did like a girl—his earlier infatuation with Weiss Schnee was proof of that—but, maybe Jaune would act differently when the person he liked was a close friend.

_"...or partner..."_ Pyrrha thought wistfully. Her over-analysis had led Pyrrha to lean against the door once she had entered the room; by now, Nora and Ren had noticed that their teammate had not moved since coming in.

Ren traded glances with Nora, who spoke, "Hey, Pyr, everything okay?" Both her and Ren had learned that Pyrrha only seemed to act this way when their team leader was involved.

Pyrrha was startled out of her thoughts and half-smiled, "Oh, yeah, just tired I guess. Jaune and I had a late session so..." she hesitated, "...did you guys, happen to see him after dinner?"

Ren shook his head. "Nora and I retired here right after dinner. It's just been the two of us since."

"Oh."

Nora smiled, "He's probably gotten lost again. You know how he complains that all the hallways look the same after dark."

Pyrrha smiled nervously, but she obviously was not convinced that everything was hunky-dory. Again, Nora and Ren traded looks: this particular look was their signal for _"yep, Jaune did something."_

Nora lept off her bed and hugged Pyrrha. "So, did you guys have a good training session?"

Pyrrha related the night's session. "He's gotten so much better. I'm proud of him." She smiled softly, prompting her two teammates to do the same. Though Nora had her own relationship issues at times (concerning no one in particular), she thought it _soooooooooooo cute_ that her powerful teammate had begun to fall for their adorkable leader. Ren seemed passive about it at first glance, but Nora knew he thought the idea of Jaune and Pyrrha getting together was not a bad one. _"So long as it didn't affect the team negatively,"_ he'd clarify.

Everyone on Team JNPR knew that Pyrrha's private lessons for Jaune had the double-purpose of letting the two partners have some meaningful alone-time—everyone knew except Jaune, of course. Nora and Ren didn't doubt that the oblivious boy _was_ in fact growing closer to his best friend—but the very fact that Pyrrha _is_ his best friend could also mean that Jaune would want to keep things that way: as just friends.

_"Which is totally, totally okay,"_ Nora always forced herself to think; Pyrrha's situation hit a little too close to home at times. _"Really, totally fine, nothing wrong with that, it's like ice cream (with no toppings.) Just _fine_. Buuuuuut...if you could get ice cream _with_ toppings...wouldn't that be better, more fun, more _satisfying_?" _

Leading Pyrrha to her bedside, Nora sat down with her friend. "And," Nora prodded, "after you two finished...?"

Pyrrha breathed out, slumping a bit again. "Well, we went to shower, and-" Pyrrha recalled her encounter with Team RWBY's leader after her bath, "-I ran into Ruby..."

Ren looked at Pyrrha, then furrowed his brow a bit. Nora noticed and turned to Pyrrha, "Is that bad?"

"No, no, it's not bad at all. I like Ruby..." Pyrrha played with her fingers.

"But...? What happened?" Ren softly pried.

"Spill it out!" Nora playfully teased her friend. Pyrrha couldn't help but smile a bit, before explaining how awkward things had become between her and Ruby. "And, to be honest, tonight's not the first time I've noticed something like this. Ever since I started training with Jaune, in fact, Ruby has seemed to take...more of an interest in him. I didn't think much of it at first; I mean, Ruby would seem a bit upset when she didn't get to do anything with Jaune because he and I were busy. But I didn't think it could mean..."

"That you'd have a rival?" Ren suggested.

Pyrrha laughed, though she didn't think it was funny. "I could handle rivals in the arena. I'm just not...experienced in this area." She sighed, "I don't know what to do. And the best part is, I think I know why Jaune's not back yet."

Nora and Ren silently waited for Pyrrha to explain. "I did meet him at dinner. Things were actually going kind of nicely until I...well, I asked him if he liked Ruby."

"Oh, Pyrrha...!" Nora winced. Ren's expression betrayed nothing, but he asked, "what did he say?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "Nothing, he just made up a rather flimsy excuse and left in a hurry." Pyrrha did her best to hold her feelings in check, but she gripped the bedspread on Nora's mattress hard. "I...I can't figure out why he wouldn't just give me an answer."

Nora and Ren ran through a similar train of reasoning that Pyrrha had earlier: Jaune would have to actually _know_ that Pyrrha liked him if he had felt inclined to spare her feelings. And Jaune wasn't the type to keep his own thoughts and feelings from Pyrrha—at least as far as they knew; if Jaune did like Ruby, he'd probably have told Pyrrha. Something wasn't adding up...

But Nora and Ren didn't have a lot of time to ponder: Pyrrha, normally so very in-control of her emotions, was slipping. "I guess Jaune does like Ruby. It's okay," Pyrrha said, convincing nobody. "Ruby is so sweet, she'd make a good girlfriend for him" Nora frowned: this was so un-like the confident and chipper Pyrrha she knew.

Pyrrha was near her breaking point, eyes shut tight as she continued:"Jaune _does_ seem to like more petite girls. Ruby's like Weiss, she's cute and innocent and girly and all that. While I'm so darned tall and strong and..._masculine_." Pyrrha didn't make a whimper, but a small tear had begun to stream down her face.

"Pyrrha!" Nora could not believe what her normally-stoic friend had just said. It upset her to see Pyrrha beat herself up this way. Over-analysis was one thing, but Nora would not have self-abuse!

Wrapping her arms around Pyrrha, Nora glanced at Ren, who understood her silent request. "I'd better go and see if I can find Jaune, it's getting late."

The quiet boy left the two redheads alone; Nora kept her arms around Pyrrha as she silently cried.

"...I'm sorry..." Pyrrha whispered after a minute.

"Uh-uh, apology not accepted. You've been mean to my friend, you see!" Nora smiled as she spoke, but her voice was surprisingly stern. "Her name is Pyrrha Nikos, she's a kick-ass huntress who is actually quite sexy and girly in spite of how strong she is, and is she is the second-nicest person I've ever met! And you said some very mean things about her tonight, so if you're gonna apologize to anyone, it'd better be her. Got it?"

Pyrrha gave a short laugh and looked at Nora. She smiled, her green eyes moist but more like their usual, confident selves.

Neither said anything for a moment, till Pyrrha spoke up. "I guess I kind of embarrassed myself tonight. I can't even remember the last time I felt so...exposed."

"Hey, it's kinda nice to see that even the "Invincible Girl" has a weak spot. Makes the rest of us feel better." Nora patted Pyrrha on the back.

A silent moment passed again, before Pyrrha spoke up: "Nora...how do you manage it? I mean, how do you manage to be so cheerful when...the guy you like won't..."

Nora did lose her smile, for a moment; but it was back on as she answered: "Pyrrha, I know deep down that my...man...loves me to death. And because of that, I know that in the end, the one that he'll want to end up with is me. I'm his dearest friend, the one always by his side, and he's always by mine. It's going to happen. Believe it or not, what I'm being is _patient_."

Pyrrha did have a bit of a hard time buying that: Nora was energy and impatience personified.

"I know it's still a bit early for you and Jaune—you like him a lot, everyone can see that (well, except for _Jaune,_ apparently), and I think he's the same kind of guy as mine: someone who will do anything for his best friend." Nora was not usually comfortable talking "serious" with people, but Pyrrha was an exception.

"You've got four years to be Jaune's partner, so, what you've got to do is just make those four years so amazing that he'll not want them to end. I think that you'll find that even if Jaune starts liking other girls or whatever, you'll be the one he always turns to. And in the end, you'll be the one he wants to be with."

Pyrrha tried to smile, but... "That sounds like the 'friend zone', Nora. I mean, I'm kinda already _there_ with Jaune..."

"I know it's hard. Believe me I know," Nora muttered a bit glumly, "but trust me, he's going to realize at one point or another that he loves you. Maybe it will happen sooner than later, that'd be AWESOME, but if not...you gotta hang in there."

* * *

**I received a very insightful review from one VedranThell (that I can't reply to) but I appreciated their perspective all the same. I'd be okay shipping Ruby and Jaune in this story if not for...well, I still need to finish my conclusion before I tell you. Still, Vedran nailed it concerning my making Ruby more of a proactive go-getter and Pyrrha more of a patient, reactive type. Having had relationship experiences with both approaches I can't tell you which if any is better; I'm currently in a committed relationship that began very slowly, from the friend zone. Before though I was in a much faster-paced, make-a-move relationship. Both have been very meaningful (though obviously only one has lasted so far). This story is a bit of fluff, an attempt to get into the minds of the characters and get their differing perspectives on love and dating.**

**I'm long winded, but thank you for reading Cookies and Cereal. I'm almost done with the conclusion but may redo the chapters (that is, combine a few) to make it flow better. Your comments are both welcome and invaluable!**


	6. Chapter 6

"There you are," said Ren softly. He had found Jaune sitting against the wall in a hallway not too far from the dorm room. "Curfew will be in effect in a little bit, we should probably head home."

Jaune acknowledged him but didn't get up; Ren stood where he was, staring blankly down at his team leader.

"...did Pyrrha make it home yet?" Jaune asked.

Ren nodded an affirmative. Sighing, Jaune stood up. "Um, was she upset or anything when she got back?"

Ren smiled gently at his team leader. "Pyrrha was...just worried about you, that's all. Come on, you can tell her you're okay yourself."

Jaune got up to follow Ren and the two boys began walking home. Ren kept quiet, as he usually did; most people assumed that his silence meant that he was anti-social or didn't enjoy conversation. This was untrue: Ren just preferred to let others do most of the talking, while he listened.

Tonight, however, Ren found himself in an unusual situation: Jaune had not said a word to him since they began walking home, and his silence was starting to bug Ren. It didn't take a genius to see that the blonde boy had a lot on his mind, stuff he should probably talk about. But, it looked like Ren would have to be the one to speak first tonight.

"Jaune," Ren began, "I know that you and I are just starting to get to know one another, but I do like to consider myself your friend."

Jaune gave Ren a curious, if cautious, look. "I'm here to listen to you should you need to get anything off your chest," Ren said, before adding, "and you can always count on my discretion."

Breathing out a defeated sigh, Jaune slumped slightly as he walked. "Girls, man."

Ren couldn't help but smile.

"Honestly, I've never had _two_ girls liking me at the same time. Let alone two very _dangerous_ girls!" Jaune suppressed a shudder, imagining what his two female friends might do should their feelings be scorned.

"You know," Ren said consolingly, "at some point or another you were bound to find a girl that likes you, Jaune."

"Hey, girls have liked me before!" came Jaune's irritated reply.

"Well, like you enough to date you," Ren clarified.

"Believe it or not, I _have_ dated before." said Jaune. Ren's first instinct was to laugh it off as impossible, but having heard the dead-seriousness in his leader's tone, Ren instead found that his curiosity was piqued.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. You know, one of the benefits of going to a normal, ordinary school is the fact that everyone there was just as normal, boring and unexceptional as me. I wasn't the poor kid that got stuck in trees at my old school."

Jaune noticed Ren's raised eyebrow, then added, "well, okay, there were a _couple_ of times I got stuck in a tree, but it had nothing to do with fighting monsters." Sighing, Jaune looked down the dark hallway. "Growing up, I was just like everyone else. I did normal stuff, like going out and all that." "

Ren gave Jaune a look. He realized then that a life spent in combat schools, while rewarding, did mean that Ren missed out on the typical life most people got to enjoy. _"Come to think of it,"_ Ren thought to himself, _"I didn't ever really date much myself, growing up—there were all the times I hung out with Nora, but that was different."_

"So, what was her name?" Ren asked.

"Huh?"  
"Well, I know I am _assuming_ it was a girl you dated, but..."

"Yeah, yeah it was a girl," Jaune said. "..._the_ girl."

Jaune had a nostalgic look in his eye, and for a moment Ren could sense that there were some powerful feelings Jaune was trying to maintain control over. Though he didn't want to pry too much into what might be a painful memory, Ren found himself wanting to hear more about Jaune's old flame.

"What was her name?"

Breathing deep through his nose, Jaune took a moment to recall memories that he had spent the past semester trying to repress.

"Her name was Scarlet. Scarlet Blakeny. We had been best friends for years, and then we started going out the year before I left for Beacon."

Just like that, more and more memories of Jaune's past love came to him. He smiled sadly as he shared them: "Scarlet was smart, cute and kind of quiet. Usually. I mean, she'd tear people a new one if she found out they cheated on a test or if they picked on another student. Scarlet hated injustice."

Ren smiled. "What did she look like?

"A bit short, slender. She was almost dainty, kinda like Weiss—same blue eyes, too. Except, Scarlet had red hair. Red hair and blue eyes, like fire and ice. So pretty." Jaune looked at his feet as he continued to walk and talk. "We had spent so much time together over the years, and I guess we just started to realize that we loved each other." Jaune grew silent again, his eyes staring at the floor but his mind focused on his memories.

After a while Ren decided to ask: "What happened?"

"Well, we broke up, obviously." Jaune said. "I had told her how I planned to go to Beacon and she thought I was being crazy. I mean, she was right—I had never been through any combat school, and I certainly wasn't a model student, let alone a warrior. There was no way I'd get in."

"You found a way," Ren said. Jaune had snuck into Beacon using false transcripts; he had confided this only to Pyrrha at first, but eventually Jaune had shared his secret with the rest of his team as well.

"Yeah. And Scarlet...she was furious. She knew that becoming a Hunter was my life-long dream, but the fact that I had basically lied and cheated my way in...she couldn't stand it.

"We argued a lot. Finally, she said I had to choose: I could either be her boyfriend, or I could go to Beacon."

"And you chose to come here," Ren concluded.

"...No, actually. I told her I wouldn't go." Jaune's eyes tensed. "I..I had told her I loved her, and wanted to be with her."

Ren stared at Jaune in surprise. "Then, why did you still break up?"

Jaune hesitated. "...we tried to just move on from all of the arguing and all that, Scarlet and I. I thought we'd just go back to being the happy couple we were, and I even didn't really mind that I wouldn't get to be a warrior. Then, one day during the summer...she had sent me a message. No talk, no visit or even a phone call, just a text message, saying we had to break up."

"...did she say why?"

Jaune closed his eyes, nodded. "Yeah. She said that she knew that going to Beacon, becoming a warrior, a hero, was my life-long dream. While she hated how I had lied to get in, Scarlet felt like she was ruining my life by making me not go. She said that she wanted me to pursue my dreams, and so she had to 'let me go'."

The two boys had stopped walking. "Scarlet said she still wanted to be friends, just like we'd always been. But..."

"You had fallen in love with her," Ren said.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. I just couldn't...I mean, I was pissed at her for not even telling me face-to-face, but yeah. I still was in love with her. After a while, I couldn't even stand being in the same _town_ as her. So, I figured I'd stick to my 'A' plan. And here I am."

Ren looked at his leader; Jaune always seemed to strike everyone that first met him as a goof, a loveable idiot that didn't amount to much. Anyone that took the time to get to know Jaune soon discovered just how much more there was to him, though.

"When...when you fall in love with your best friend," Jaune began, "you can't just go back to being friends, if you break up. Things can't go back to how they used to be. I mean, it's different if you and a girl just go out and find out you two work better as friends instead of a couple, but...falling in love..."

"...You just aren't ready for that again. Not yet." Ren said.

Jaune nodded. "Thing is, Ruby and Pyrrha...I like them both, I really do."

"Especially Pyrrha," Ren ventured. Jaune looked as if he was about to deny this, when Ren interjected: "Really, Jaune, she's your partner and you are closer to her than anyone. It's okay to have a 'favorite'."

Jaune sighed, "Yeah, whatever. What I'm trying to say, though, is that things would be different if they just wanted to, you know, hang out and stuff. Nothing serious or anything like that."

"You mean date casually?" asked Ren.

"Kind of, though I'd not even take it so far as to call it 'dating'. But...I get the feeling that Pyrrha and Ruby are after the long-term. They both want an honest-to-goodness, boyfriend-and-girlfriend relationship." Jaune laughed softly, "Heh, and with _me_, of all people."

Ren shook his head. "Jaune, I think we're all tired of the 'I'm not good enough for Pyrrha' routine, so save it. You know she doesn't think of people that way—neither does Ruby, for that matter."

"Sorry," Jaune said. "Still, though.. .you get where I'm coming from, right?"

Nodding, Ren replied, "I think so. You just are not ready to commit to a long-term relationship with anybody right now."

"Yeah," Jaune said, "I'm not ready to fall in love again. Not yet."

Ren understood; Jaune had lost more than a girlfriend when Scarlet broke up with him; he had lost her friendship entirely. Ruby and Pyrrha may both already be falling for Jaune, but he was not ready to take that kind of chance again.

"Come on," Ren said as he gestured towards the dorm. "We're almost there."

When they finally reached Team JNPR's dorm Jaune got out his scroll to unlock the door. He hesitated, however, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Heh, I probably sounded pathetic, back there." Jaune didn't look at Ren, but the quiet boy frowned at him.

"Not at all. Out of all of Team JNPR, Jaune, I think you have more actual relationship experience than any of us. I don't think Pyrrha has ever really dated anyone before. And as for Nora and I...well..."

Jaune turned a bit to look at Ren, who continued talking: "What I am saying is, that you are not pathetic. If I had gone through what you did, I can't say I'd behave any differently." He added quietly, "If I ended up hurting Nora, and she didn't want to be in my life anymore...I don't know what I'd do. Maybe that's why...why I don't do _anything_."

Jaune looked down glumly, but Ren put a hand on his shoulder. "You are doing what you feel is best. You owe it to whoever you end up dating to have your feelings sorted out first. And you owe it to yourself."

"Thanks, Ren," Jaune smiled. "Still, I know it won't be easy on either Pyrrha or Ruby. I mean, it probably doesn't help that I still kinda flirt with them."

Ren chuckled, "Yeah, you might be sending mixed messages there."

Grinning, Jaune sputtered "I can't help it, I do like them. It's just, not the right timing, I guess."

"If Pyrrha and Ruby are serious about wanting you, they'll give you time." Ren said reassuringly. _"And seeing how much you've grown already, neither of them should have to wait very long"_ Ren thought to himself.

* * *

** So, I'm sorry for not giving a definite Arkos or RoseArc pairing in this story, but I wanted to do something different. Since Jaune went to a normal school growing up I figured he would have gotten to do normal-kid things, like dating—Jaune's a normal guy, so he could get a normal girl. I decided that Jaune has dealt with the rough part of falling in love: the end of a relationship. Thus he is reluctant (for now) to ask any girl out in a serious way, as he has to fully get over his ex and the fear of possibly losing another friendship. The best thing Jaune has going for him at Beacon now are his friends-yeah, most of his friends are attractive, available girls, but he's alread lost one important friendship; imagine how hard it'd be after a break-up with a fellow leader, or your own partner.  
**

** FYI: "Scarlet Blakeny" is a reference to the Scarlet Pimpernel, in keeping with RWBY's conventions of using colors and literary characters for inspiration; I also wanted Jaune's ex-girlfriend to be a redhead, not unlike Pyrrha and Ruby (plus redheads are plain awesome) And, maybe the reason Jaune flirted with Weiss at first was because she reminded Jaune of Scarlet?**

** Hope you enjoyed Cookies and Cereal; feel free to offer constructive feedback (in fact, please please do!), I want to improve my writing and am not afraid to update my work :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**So, I had a few readers that were not satisfied with my original ending: to be fair, I had rushed it a bit, just wanting to finish this story before I began posting another I've been working on. I received some good feedback and suggestions from several readers and decided to work on giving you all a better conclusion. I still want to remain true to my original intentions for the story: this is not a typical shipping fanfic, not every character will end the story getting what they want or getting over it. But having established what R, P and J are going through mentally and emotionally, it's time to see how they will now react to one another. Here is a taste of what's to come; I'll publish the rest ASAP. As always, read and review please! Enjoy!**

* * *

_ "I can do this. I'm the youngest huntress ever accepted into Beacon. I'm the leader of the best team ever made! But I'm also a girl, just a regular girl fully capable of doing normal, regular-girl things."_ Ruby's already hyperactive mind was pushed even faster by the subconscious use of her Semblance. Thoughts played through her head at more-than-human speed as the young girl tried to keep herself focused on her mission.

"_Just go up to him, and ask him out. Be the sweet, amazing girl everyone says you are, and don't panic!_ _Don't Panic! Oh dust, there he is!"_

Sure enough, Ruby had found Jaune; waves of hot, nervous excitement and bone-chilling fear hit her suddenly and simultaneously, and Ruby again had to use her impressive mental faculties to keep herself from chickening out.

Ruby grinned and waved at Jaune...and then noticed Pyrrha standing right next to him. "_Oh...okay that complicates things..."_ Ruby thought, her grin slipping ever-so-slightly. The two partners had noticed her by now, though, so there was no turning back.

"Hey guys," Ruby said, trying to keep her voice from cracking, "good to see you."

Pyrrha had arched an eyebrow when she first saw Ruby approaching her and her partner, but she smiled warmly. "Nice to see you too, Ruby." The ginger amazon forced herself to relax. _"Ruby is still my friend, and I am not going to let my feelings control me," _Pyrrha thought to herself.

"You heading to the training grounds, too?" asked Jaune. "Pyrrha wanted to go over a defensive move set she's been developing and asked me to observe her."

Jaune glanced at his partner, before whispering to Ruby: "I don't know how much help I'll actually be, though. Haven't a clue what she wants me to look for."

Ruby smirked, then remembered her mission: "No, actually, I..." her heart had begun racing again. _"No backing out now!"_ Ruby forced herself to think.

"...um, I was hoping to talk to you."

"Okay...what about?" asked Jaune.

"Well, I kinda need to tell you privately," Ruby glanced over Jaune's shoulder at Pyrrha. "Um, sorry!" she said to the other girl.

_"I would have preferred to not do this with Pyrrha around at all...but I can't chicken out at this point!"_

Pyrrha gave Jaune a wistful glance, then nodded at Ruby. "Sure, of course Ruby." She maintained her pleasant demeanor, but Pyrrha's voice had gone a little quiet. "I'll go on ahead, Jaune."

Jaune met his partner's gaze, then nodded. Ruby was thankful that Pyrrha, though her rival for Jaune's heart, was still the kind, courteous soul she always was. After Pyrrha was out of earshot Ruby turned her attention back to Jaune.

"So, what's up, Ruby?" the blonde boy asked. Ruby pushed her index fingers together as she tried one more time to summon her courage.

"Uh, I er, ah..." internally Ruby kicked herself. "Don't be such a dork! Just ask him!"

"J-Jaune, I wanted to know if you wanted to...go out this weekend." Ruby looked up at Jaune, who had widened his eyes a bit. "I mean, uh, as...like as a date."


End file.
